Thane rehab centre official to be suspended after prostitution racket's exposure

Jul 18, 2015, 08:50 IST
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Sailee Dhayalkar

The decision comes after a mid-day report on a rescued woman’s pregnancy at the centre that exposed a prostitution racket

On July 14, mid-day had reported how a woman’s pregnancy blew the lid off a prostitution racket in a rehabilitation centre at Ulhasnagar. Following this, the District Women and Child Welfare Department (DWCWD) has initiated a process to suspend the superintendent of Shanti Sadan, the rehabilitation centre, Nanda Gargunde.

An official from the Thane DWCWD told mid-day that they have started with the process of suspension and that she will be informed with an official letter in the coming two to three days. Shashikant Chavan, DWCWD officer from Thane, said, “Investigations are still on.”

When mid-day contacted Gargunde, she said she wasn’t aware of any suspension notice. After the matter came to light, the 23-year-old pregnant woman was transferred to a private centre in Thane. The government-run centre, which is meant for homeless and destitute women, also serves as an orphanage, and no men, except for those who may be working at the centre, are allowed in.

After the woman exhibited signs of pregnancy, she was taken for a medical check-up by the shelter’s authorities. They were left flummoxed when the report, which they received earlier this week, confirmed that she had been pregnant for over 42 days.

What has surprised the management even more is the woman’s claim that the child is her husband’s. The woman has been at the centre since 2013 and officials told mid-day that her husband has never visited her since.